TASTE
The Bariani family produces about
33,000 gallons of olive oil annually.
year, which is sold in the campus bookstore
and online, according to Flynn.
Corti, who has judged olive oil
tastings, would not comment on
the quality of California olive oil
versus European oils. Instead Corti
diplomatically says, “If it’s made
properly, it can be very, very good.”
Marketing California oil
The Barianis started producing olive
oil from a small plot with existing
trees they owned in Sacramento. They
moved to their Zamora ranch in 2004
and began planting the next year. The
Bariani family grows manzanilla and
mission olive trees — both originally
from Spain. “Many people told us to
plant Italian varieties because we’re
Italian and produce Italian olive oil or
at least Italian-style olive oil,” Bariani
says. “We decided to stay true to the
land and those two California trees.”
It takes about five years for an
olive tree to start producing. The
Barianis harvest the olives by hand
in November, prune the trees in the
spring and spread the leftover olive
paste around the trees as compost.
“We’re a family company, family-owned,
family-run,” Bariani says.
“We do everything ourselves.”
At Ternero Farms and Ternero Olive
Oil in Lincoln, Felipe and Lisa Ternero
tend to 2,000 trees. Felipe Ternero
grew up in Spain and eventually took
over the family farm. He came to the
U.S. to attend Chico State, where he
met his wife, who marketed the olive
oil through school fundraisers before
the coronavirus hit. Ternero says olives
are like grapes, meaning that every
year the crop is a little bit different. He
plants six different varieties: kalamata,
taggiasca, frantoio, picual, mission and
arbequina. The Terneros also have an
orchard in Oroville and 1,000 acres in
Spain. “The best olive oils are balanced;
it means you have to have fruity,
pungent and bitterness,” Ternero says.
During the fall harvest, olives
are picked by hand, shaken with a
machine or plucked with a harvester.
They are immediately taken to
a mill for the freshest processing.
First, they are de-leafed and washed,
and then a steel mill crushes the
olives, pit and all. The oil is separated
from the paste in a centrifuge.
Most local small olive oil farmers
sell online, at farmers markets or in
specialty stores. The olive tree farmers
of the Sacramento Valley support each
other, say both Bariani and Ternero.
They want everyone to know about
their quality product. “We all want
the California name recognized for
quality,” Ternero says. “When (customers)
taste a good olive oil, then
go back to their supermarket brands,
they can tell the difference. At the
end of the day, the people have to
choose and educate themselves.”
Judy Farah is a veteran journalist and
writer who has worked in the New York
City, Los Angeles and Sacramento markets.
Online at www.judyfarah.com and
on Twitter @newsbabe1530.
32 comstocksmag.com | July 2020